Purely Business
by Pagan Ianthe
Summary: Luna is single, lonely and devoted to her job, but will the gift of a kneazle and an unexpected offer of friendship change that?


**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter characters; they are the creations of JK Rowling and the property of WB, Bloomsbury Books and Scholastic.  
**Author Note:** Please enjoy and I love hearing from the people who enjoy (or don't).

**Purely Business**

_'There is nothing worse,'_ Luna thought bleakly as she observed her best friend walking up the aisle, _'than watching your last single friend getting married and realising that you are destined to be alone forever.'_

Luna had dated once, but after a while it had become apparent that he had believed he could change her, make her into the sort of woman he wanted her to be, and that wasn't what she wanted or needed. His rejection had destroyed her emotionally. Sure that she was worthless, she had shied away from men altogether, determined that she would be happy as a cat-owning spinster. Seeing Ginny standing beneath a rose-covered archway in the extensive Burrow gardens, staring lovingly into the eyes of her new husband, Luna smiled, pleased that her friend had found someone who cared about her as much as she cared about them. Everyone but Luna had been surprised when the announcement of the forthcoming marriage was printed in the _Daily Prophet_ \- Ginny had claimed to hate him for so many years.

Although Luna was overjoyed for her friend, she also felt a little depressed. From tonight there would be no more girlie nights in with a bottle of wine and a huge chocolate cake purloined from Molly Weasley's kitchen. All of Ginny's belongings had been packed in cases and boxes and were piled in her bedroom at the flat that Ginny and Luna had shared, ready to be moved to the newly remodelled Malfoy Manor on return from her honeymoon to Peru.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, and forcing a smile on her lips, Luna walked to stand next to her best friend, and hugged her tightly. "That was such a beautiful ceremony," she ignored the tear-filled thickness of her voice, focusing intently on Ginny's happiness.

"I was so nervous, did it show?" Ginny's voice shook a little with her nerves, but on the outside she appeared to be totally poised. Her curly shoulder-length red hair was pulled away from her face with a delicate diamond clasp, and her slightly rounded, curvaceous body was clothed in a designer robe of honey-coloured silk.

"You looked perfect as always, Ginny," Draco leaned in and whispered the words against his wife's neck, grinning at Luna from over Ginny's shoulder. "And you don't look too bad either, Lovegood."

Luna couldn't help but feel as though she were intruding on a wonderfully beautiful intimate moment. "Good luck," she pressed a light kiss to Ginny's cheek, patted Draco on the shoulder and then walked away, feeling as though she were in desperate need of a strong drink. It wasn't that she resented her best friend finding happiness, it was quite the opposite – Ginny's happiness simply highlighted how lonely and empty her own life was.

Standing at the bar, one hand holding a plate filled with what would normally be very appetising food, the other holding an empty glass, Luna watched as the happy couple took their first turn on the dance-floor. She looked on as Ron pulled his wife of just two years close and wrapped his arms around her and felt a few pangs for what could have been. Soon the dance-floor was filled with couples all dancing so close together that Luna wondered if a piece of paper would fit between them. With a loud sigh she managed to catch the attention of the man behind the free bar and got him to pour her another large glass of wine.

"Still on your own then, Luna?" Startled, Luna dropped her drink, and watched – as if in slow motion – as the glass fell to the floor, shattering into rainbow shards of crystal on the polished tile. She took a deep breath and turned; her eyes wide.

"Hello Adrian, how are you?" she managed, thanks to the nails she dug sharply into her palms, to keep a smile on her face and her voice pleasant. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Taking a generous sip of his double scotch, Adrian studied his ex-girlfriend, taking in the way that long tendrils of her pale blonde hair caressed the delicate curve of her neck and the way her waist appeared even more slender in the tight sheath dress she was wearing. "Cynthia works with Draco," he tilted his glass in the direction of the obviously pregnant brunette who was even now crossing the dance-floor, a large grin on her face when she saw her husband.

"Oh…that's nice." Luna wondered if she could possibly feel any more awkward, she had been so sure that now Adrian Pucey and Draco Malfoy no longer lived in the same social circle he wouldn't be invited anywhere that she was likely to be, it was obvious she was wrong in that assumption.

"So how's the paper?" he smiled warmly at Cynthia as his petite wife curved an arm around his waist and nuzzled her face against his chest.

"It's going well. Circulation was up again this month." She knew that he wasn't interested; she could tell that he was just trying to find something to talk about to pass the time.

"Can we go home, Adi? My ankles are so swollen…" Luna rolled her eyes. It was obvious that this is the sort of woman Adrian had wanted her to become, someone who sounded like a wound up Muggle talking dolly; something she could never be.

Holding his wife's hand and pressing a light kiss to her palm, Adrian looked up at Luna through blinkered eyes, "Perhaps I'll see you again sometime."

"I don't doubt it," Luna half-smiled at him and reached a hand out to shake his, making sure he knew that she wasn't affected by him anymore. "It was nice to meet you, Cynthia."

Blinking and smiling absently, Cynthia sucked her lower lip into her mouth before squeaking out, "Same here, Louise."

Luna watched as the couple walked over to the main doors where they collected their coats. Adrian had his hand planted firmly against the curve of her back, proudly proclaiming that the very pregnant brunette was his wife. "Louise…" Luna muttered; her eyes narrowing as she tried desperately to control her anger. "Couldn't even get my name right, the brainless twit."

"Talking to yourself?" Harry had been watching the exchange with curiosity, wondering whether Luna would appreciate an intervention, but it seemed he hadn't been needed. He sat down on the stool next to her and waved to get the attention of the barman, "A pint please and whatever she's having…"

Grateful for the momentary distraction, Luna took a sip of the drink that had just been placed in front of her and then leaned down, purposely banging her head on the bar. "Argh," she groaned. "That man is such a wanker…why do I let him get to me?" She banged her head again, just to make sure she had done it hard enough the first time and then, with a grateful smile at Harry, took a healthy mouthful of her refreshed glass.

Harry knew exactly why Adrian managed to annoy Luna so much; it was for the same reason that Ginny was able to get to him. They both still had feelings for their ex-partners, and it would take more than a few uncomfortable encounters to make those feelings disappear. "Don't take it to heart, Luna. Adrian Pucey is a total wanker. He's also a complete fool…he must know that Cynthia only married him because he has money."

If Harry thought that saying that was going to make things any better then he was sorely mistaken. Looking up at him through her dark lashes, Luna attempted a smile, "I don't really think that he cares about that. But he didn't mind shoving it in my face that he had found the so-called perfect wife. I was never going to be good enough…" Feeling very sorry for herself, Luna wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. "I am not going to let my bad mood ruin Ginny's special day…" at Harry's look of dismay at the mention of Ginny now being married, Luna looked immediately contrite. "I'm sorry Harry."

"Don't worry about it," Harry shook off the apology and stood up, holding his hands out to Luna. "D'you want to dance?"

Shaking her head, Luna picked up her small evening bag, one that perfectly matched her shoes and jacket, "I'd better get going actually. I have to be at the paper for a meeting in…" she squinted and checked her watch, "…just a little bit over three hours and I think I should try and sober up a bit." Seeing the way that Harry's face fell, Luna leaned up and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. "Maybe next time?"

Waving at him over her shoulder, Luna walked past him and over to the cloakroom. "I'll hold you to that," Harry called to her as he watched her leave the ballroom. "Oh well, back to being the fifth wheel," he groaned at the thought of watching his two best friends dancing closely with their spouses. He really should have found a way out of attending the wedding; this was as close to hell as he was going to get for a while.

Luna handed the small plastic key to the cloakroom attendant and, when her coat was placed on the counter, she quickly picked it up and put it on, desperate to escape from the sudden feeling of discomfort that had filled her when Harry had asked her for a dance. It was difficult to miss the fact that he was desperate to have someone, and she didn't want to be his rebound girl anymore than he really wanted to be her rebound man, but sometimes lonely desperation made people do things that they wouldn't normally.

"Leaving so soon, Lovegood?" Luna rolled her eyes and continued to head for the door, the last thing she wanted, or needed, right now was to be forced into a conversation with Blaise Zabini. When she had been dating Adrian, he had managed somehow, to make her life an absolute hell. Everywhere she turned he had been there, watching, waiting for her to do something that he could point and laugh at. "And we didn't even have a chance to catch up…" his tone was taunting, the eternal whine of the rich playboy.

"Some of us actually have to work, Zabini," she walked over to her Muggle car – a small blue and black VW Beetle – and quickly opened the door.

"Aww, surely you have a little bit of time to have a drink with an old friend," he used his wand to force the window open after she had slammed the door loudly, and continued to talk, his whiskey-scented breath drifting up her nostrils.

"I don't have time for your juvenile games, Blaise," she spat his name, frustrated that he didn't seem to be getting her rather obvious message. "I have to be at work in a few hours and I really want to have the chance to change before I head to the office." Sighing loudly she turned the key in the ignition and grinned when the engine started first time.

"Well be like that then…" he pouted like the spoilt boy he had always been and let go of the window, staggering back a little when the car sped off down the narrow country lane. With his eyes narrowed he stared after her, his fists clenched at his sides. "We'll meet again soon enough, Lovegood, and you won't be able to drive away from me then."

~*~

Luna liked to drive. When her dad had first persuaded her to get a Muggle driving license, and presented her with a car for her eighteenth birthday, she had been very quick in denouncing the method of transport as outdated and inconvenient, but the longer she had spent driving through the winding country lanes the more she had realised it was much better than a broom. Of course sometimes she missed the speed of travelling by broom, but then she remembered how difficult it had been to transport all her books and things while holding on to the broom. Her little car, Doris, was a godsend.

She drove carefully to the end of the driveway, knowing that she had really had too much to drink, and opened her bag. The Sobering Potion that she had mastered brewing in her fourth year was in a small vial in a padded pocket of the overlarge carryall she kept in front of the passenger seat of the car. After drinking the bitter vibrant green liquid she closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the chair for a few moments to let the potent brew take effect. The potion had the strength of 20 strong espressos and the kick of a mule, very effective.

She took the scenic route back to the office. She was lucky that she had some clean clothes in the bottom drawer of her desk, and the couch in the corner of her office had often doubled as a bed in the days following her father's death, soon after Voldemort had been defeated and there was so much news to be had.

She wasted no time once she arrived at "No Quibbles", the building that housed the newspaper and connected weekend colour supplement. Since she had taken over she had managed to expand what had been her father's hobby more than anything else and make it into a successful going concern. She keyed the seven-letter password into the alarm system that Seamus Finnegan had set up for her, and walked through the heavy double doors into the airy Perspex-ceilinged lobby.

As she did every time she walked through the main doors, Luna took a little time to stare at the enchanted scene that Ginny had painted on the walls, it was a moving scene, much like the photos that Colin Creevey still took – although he now took them for her – of a working press office complete with churning presses and charmed typewriters. That had been the first thing that Luna had sorted out when the paper had first expanded, moving from the small office in Ottery St. Catchpole to the centre of London. On the outside – much like 12 Grimmauld Place – it appeared to be nothing more than a gap between two large office blocks, unless you knew that it was there, and you were privy to the passwords that made it visible.

After she had taken the time to appreciate the wonderful painting on her lobby wall, Luna walked through to her office and used the small sensor just inside the door to turn on the lights. Her office was like a small room in her own flat, it was filled with photos of her on various adventures with her dad, including a moving picture of her father jubilantly holding a Crumple-horned Snorkack by the horn. They had finally discovered a nest of them in the mountains of Romania – although they never did find out what they were doing _there_.

Sitting behind her desk, Luna swung her legs up to rest them on top of a pile of paperwork that she had been procrastinating over for a good few weeks. After contemplating the job for a few moments she decided against it and rested her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. She could afford to leave it for a few more days; it wasn't as though the work was going to go anywhere in the meantime.

~*~

Blaise had no idea what he had been thinking when he had tried to talk to Luna Lovegood in the driveway of Malfoy Manor. The drink had definitely been in control of his thought processes just then. He slumped down on the settee in front of the fire in his study and buried his head in his hands, groaning quietly as the hangover potion he had taken began to take effect.

It felt as though he had only just closed his eyes and drifted into a disturbed sleep when a tapping on the large double doors leading to the gardens woke him. Standing up on unsteady feet, Blaise opened one of the doors and let the owl in, watching as the tawny bird flew into the room and landed on the corner of his desk. He plucked the note from the owl's ankle and opened it, reading the words through quickly with interest.

_Zabini,_

_I've heard a few things about you and Lovegood…don't go poaching on the preserves of others, especially my preserves._

_Pucey_

So Adrian thought that Luna still belonged to him? With a faint smile on his face, he screwed the parchment up into a ball and threw it into the flickering flames in the hearth. There was no way he was going to let a note from a spoilt poor loser affect his own plans. The note did raise some questions though; for instance, how did Adrian know anything about his plans for Luna Lovegood, especially when he wasn't exactly sure of what they were himself?

~*~

When the early morning shift arrived at the paper, Luna was still sleeping in her chair, her ankles crossed on the desk, her long dark-blonde hair falling out of the neat up-do it had been in for the wedding.

Colin Creevey peeked through the glass on the sound-proofed door and then knocked loudly, laughing when Luna suddenly jerked into an upright position, the paperwork on her desk scattering around the office. "You weren't actually sleeping were you, Lovegood?" he walked into the office and slumped down in the chair on the other side of her desk and crossed his legs. As always he had a camera dangling from his hand and his fingers were smudged with the chemicals used to develop the magical colour photos always used in the weekend supplement.

Sweeping her hands through her hair in an effort to tidy it somewhat, Luna glanced at the clock resting precariously on the edge of her desk and then set about nervously neatening things up a bit. "Well don't just sit there," Luna almost yelled at her grinning photographer. "We've got a potential backer coming in later on, we don't want him to see how disorganised we are." If anything was guaranteed to get Colin actually working, it was the news that there could possibly be more money coming into the Quibbler, this would mean that he might get the printing room he had been banging on about to Luna almost since the day he had started working for her.

"Well why didn't you say that before? I might even have spent some of my precious weekend helping you with that paperwork," even as he said the words he was using his wand to collate the papers and file them in the filing cabinet which was, for the most part, unused. "I don't understand why you don't just hire yourself a secretary," he grumped as a particularly large document refused to fit into the magically expanding wallet in the drawer.

"You know why. I am perfectly capable of doing the work…I just hate filing." Luna shrugged and sat down; sweeping a cursory glance over the office to make sure that it was presentable.

"Well if you ask me," Luna looked up stunned when a deep familiar voice joined the conversation, "You need someone to come in here and get rid of all that paperwork."

Luna stared at Blaise Zabini, resplendent in a dark grey pinstripe suit worn underneath a dark grey robe, her mouth open in shock. "What are _you_ doing here?" Flicking a glance over at Colin she could see her prize-winning photographer shaking his head at her, frantically telling her (with a hand around his own throat) to keep her mouth shut.

"I believe that we have a meeting, Miss Lovegood, that should have started nearly 15-minutes ago." He smoothly removed his robe and hung it on the coat rack, looking at the rickety feature rather dubiously, it was obvious he was wondering how strong it was. "My mind says that you are ready for an investment from Kestrel Inc, but my eyes see disorganisation and lack of preparation."

Blinking rapidly, trying to take in what Blaise was telling her, Luna wished that she had taken some time to actually inquire more into the investor that Draco had found for her – she should have known that he would find someone from his old house, someone who stank of old money and had a finger in many pies. "So come on, Lovegood," he leaned back casual and confident in the armchair and smirked. "Tell me why I should invest in your company."

Luna still couldn't believe it, _he_ was Kestral Inc, a company that had steadily risen from nothing to become a very powerful corporation both in the UK and abroad. "I think that there has been some kind of mistake." Luna stood up and attempted to smile sincerely, although it was difficult. "I don't think that we have anything to discuss, Zabini." She put a hand out to him and bit back the quiet groan that threatened to escape her lips when a sudden shot of heat seared up her arm at the touch of his warm palm against hers.

"Well now that we have the business over with, Lovegood…" Blaise tugged her closer to him, almost lifting her from her feet, leaving her in a rather awkward position with her body stretched above the desk that separated them. "Now that we are no longer going to be partners, I can do this."

Before Luna had a chance to move away, to tug her hand from his incredibly powerful grasp, his lips were crashing down on hers, his tongue teasing lightly at the seam of her lips, his kiss consuming her whole. Her body was set on fire as he somehow managed to move the desk (with a wave of the hand?), pulling her body up tight against his own, letting her feel how much her touch was affecting him.

_'Luna, you really shouldn't be doing this,'_ the little conscience-driven voice in her head was almost yelling at her, trying to bring her back to her senses. _'It feels so good,'_ her less active, desire-led voice was telling her, punching down her conscience, determined to be the winner in this all-out war of inner voices.

Somewhere on the edge of her awareness she heard the door to her office creak open and then close again quickly, Colin! She had forgotten that Colin had been in the room for the meeting. _'See, that's what lust gets you,'_ her conscience screamed. _'So what? It's not like he hasn't seen anything like that before,'_ the seemingly _sensible_ lust-filled voice replied.

Giving in with a sigh, Luna wrapped her arms around Blaise's neck and sank further into the kiss, her fingers speared into his curly black hair and she pulled him closer, her lips opening on a quiet moan as his tongue took possession and the kiss ignited an uncontrollable fire in her soul.

Blaise was the first one to realise that there was a glass door and glass windows looking out from her office onto the main floor of the newspaper where people were already busy working on various articles and assignments for the weekend edition. He guided Luna to the settee set into the darkest corner of the office and sat down on it, then pulled her onto his lap. His erection pressed against her backside as he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his nose in the delicate curve of her neck.

Blinking, Luna suddenly realised what she was doing. She was sitting on Blaise Zabini's lap, having just been absolutely and thoroughly snogged by him, and he was good. Blinking at the sudden urge she had to strip off her business-suit blouse and rub her breasts him, feel his lips close about them, his strong slender fingers pinching them, Luna suddenly stood up, shaking her head. "Oh no, this is just wrong. So so wrong. You had better go." She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her focus, and then walked over to the office door, and pulled it open. "Thank you for coming," her voice was husky, filled with the desires that even now were roaming unchecked through her imagination. The total 18-rated Kama Sutra in living colour was playing as a continuous film in her mind.

Leaning down, Blaise pressed a light sensuous kiss to the delicate skin behind her ear and whispered, "There's no need to thank me, it was an absolute pleasure."

As he pulled away from their very brief, and extremely professional, handshake, Blaise dared to brush the tips of his fingers along her palm, a grin on his face when he noticed the way that her silver-blue eyes darkened. "We _will_ continue this later, Lovegood."

Shivering, Luna watched out of her window as Blaise left the building. The scent of his aftershave lingered in the room for a few hours after he had gone, and Luna found herself disappointed when it finally went.

At five-thirty, Luna realised that she hadn't eaten all day, nor had she taken the break she had planned to after her morning meeting. She packed up all her things, wrote a few notes to the night workers (who normally expected to see her for a few hours of their shift) and wrote a note to herself, to remind her that she had worn the 'office' suit and would therefore have to bring in another to replace it.

At five to seven, Luna was sinking into a deep tub of warm soapy water, a glass of wine in one hand and a _Poirot_ book in the other. She was determined that she was going to clear her mind of all thoughts of Blaise Zabini and his soul-searing kisses.

Over an hour later she was just getting to the good bit of the book, the water had started to cool, her glass of wine was empty, but she didn't want to get out of the bath to get herself the bottle that was cold in the fridge (for some strange reason she had never been able to magick the fridge to do anything other than what it had been built for – keeping food cold). She turned the hot tap on with one foot while using the other to pull the plug out and then sank back to enjoy the sensation of the hot water hitting her cooling legs, quickly warming them up. Then the doorbell rang…

~*~

Luna contemplated ignoring the doorbell, she was so relaxed, her body warm from the bathwater, her mind calm and slightly numb from the large glass of white wine. She pushed the plug back into the plughole with her big toe and ducked under the water until her long hair was soaked, the wet tangles clinging to her shoulders and back – making it itch just a little bit. The doorbell rang again, this time whoever it was had decided to leave their finger on the button – unless of course their finger was stuck!

Finally, fed up with the sound of the high-pitched tone echoing through the hallway, Luna stood up and clambered out of the bath. After wrapping herself in the large, thick towelling robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door, she stalked impatiently down the hall and pulled open the front door. "What is it?" she almost growled, her hands clenched into tight fists in the deep pockets of her robe.

"Miss Lovegood?" A young man stood awkwardly shifting from foot to foot on her doorstep, he was holding a rather large package in his arms and wore a bright orange cap, with the name of a well-known delivery company plastered on the side of it, on his head.

"Yes? What do you want?" She wasn't in the mood to be nice. It likely wasn't the boy's fault that she had been disturbed in the middle of her very rare me-time, but he was still the one who had been insistently ringing the doorbell, and that was enough for her.

"I have a package for you. Sign here?" He placed the package in her hands and then produced a small notebook and quill. Blinking, Luna put the package on the floor at her feet carefully and took the quill, signing her name with a flourish on the pad before handing it back to him.

"Thank you," she smiled and picked up the rather heavy box again, curious as to who had sent her a gift.

"Have a nice evening, Miss Lovegood." The delivery boy tipped his cap at her and then walked over to the stairs and started to descend.

Unable to tamp down her curiosity, Luna quickly closed the door with one foot before walking down the hallway and into the lounge where she placed the parcel on the floor and set about unwrapping it. "Airholes?" she wondered to herself as she pulled away the dark blue and silver paper. As she tugged open the lid, she couldn't hold back the small gasp of surprise that left her. Inside the box, curled up on a soft nest of straw and newspaper, was a tiny white and grey Kneazle kitten with the hugest bluest eyes she had ever seen. "Ooh, aren't you a cutie?" she cooed as she picked the kitten up and placed it on her lap. Tiny claws dug into her thigh, but she ignored the sharp sting as she focused on the kitten curling up into her, stroking the white and grey dappled fur gently.

Soothed by the sound of the kitten purring against her leg, Luna closed her eyes for a few moments, a sigh on her lips when she realised that she couldn't just sit here and appreciate the calm. Someone had sent her a pet and she had no idea who it was. Placing the kitten on a cushion she pulled from the pile on her sofa, she set about pulling the box to pieces, searching for a clue. Finally she took the time to look at the reverse side of the wrapping paper, stunned when she read the note that had been clearly written on the shiny white surface:

_She reminded me of you, all cute and cuddly, with sharp claws._

_Until next we meet,_

_B_

"He thinks I'm cute and cuddly," she hissed as she tore the note into tiny shreds and threw them all in the bin. Looking over at the kitten, Luna realised that she could no more send this gift back than she could cut off her left arm – she was, after all, left handed – but he had obviously planned this well, trying to seduce her by giving her gifts she could never return.

All the banging as Luna destroyed all evidence of the box and paper that the Kneazle had arrived in, served well to ease some of her irritation at his presumptuousness, it also woke the newest resident of the only flat in the "No Quibbles" building, sending her jumping off the small cushion and plodding tiredly through the flat to find the source of the noise. "Are you hungry?" Luna asked the mewling kitten as her fur rubbed against Luna's bare leg. "I wonder what I've got for you to eat." Luna, who was not a great cook and tended to send out for most of her food using the FFN (Floo Food Network), had very little in her cupboards or fridge in the way of food. Sure, she had the usual, eggs, chocolate, ice cream and a couple of bottles of wine, but none of that was really suitable for an animal. "Oh well, it looks like I am going to have to go shopping."

Sighing rather loudly, Luna walked into her bedroom opened her wardrobe and pulled out a thick bright red wool jumper (one that Molly Weasley had knitted her when she was still at school) and a pair of baggy faded jeans. After pulling on her underwear, a pair of tatty greying knickers that she saved for days when she wasn't going to work, and a pair of thick gym socks that kept her feet warm in her trainers, Luna dressed in the bright jumper and comfy jeans. "You stay here, kitten," Luna mumbled into the Kneazle's fur, nuzzling her lovingly. "I'll be back soon with some food for you." She put the kitten down and left the flat, only able to apparate once she had left the secure confines of the building completely.

Shopping was not her favourite pastime. She apparated into the middle of a very busy Diagon Alley – it was after all only 7.30 in the evening, the time when many people left the workplace in the days of generous overtime pay. She barged through the crowds gathered outside Quality Quidditch Supplies and Weasley Wizard Wheezes – those two shops were the most popular and always the busiest in the town – she made her way over to Eeylops Pet Emporium, the only place in London she knew of that sold the food her Kneazle kitten would eat for her first few months.

After pushing her way through the seeming hoards of children ahh-ing over the various cute pets in the middle of the small shop, Luna was finally able to purchase enough of the centaur-grown grain and polgar fruit mix to last her a few weeks.

She was just coming out of the shop when she spotted a familiar head in the swelling crowd in front of her. For a few moments she considered just apparating home and ignoring the sudden urge she had to thank Blaise for his gift, but her good manners and desire won out.

"Blaise…Blaise wait!" she pushed through the crowd, a little breathless by the time she was close enough to reach out and tap him on the shoulder. "I just wanted to thank you for the kitten…"

With a cocksure smile Blaise turned round, ignoring the man who elbowed him in the ribs, and the woman who stuck one high-heel into his foot. "How about we go somewhere and discuss how you can thank me!" he raised one eyebrow and winked at her, then clasped her outstretched hand in one of his and pulled her after him out of the crowd and into the darkened doorway of a shop on the corner of Diagon and Nocturne Alley.

Luna stared at him, mouth agape as she tried to take in what he had just said. It was apparent that he expected more than just words, and she was torn between slapping him around the face – that would knock the smug smirk off his face – or leaping into his arms and giving him what he wanted. "She wasn't that great a gift, Zabini," her voice turned a little chilly, her eyes narrowing as she watched, with satisfaction, his shoulders droop a little, the spark of surety fading from his eyes. "I still had to buy her food, and she needs a bed, a litter tray and other things…"

"It's the gift that keeps on giving," the grin was back, bigger and smugger than ever. Luna's fingers itched to feel the coolness of his skin heat under a forceful slap. "How about you invite me back to yours so I can make sure the little kit is settling in?"

Rolling her eyes, and feeling a little as though she was being completely and utterly manipulated, Luna nodded her head, grasped the bag of Kneazle food tighter under one of her arms – although she was tempted to dump it over Blaise's head – and, after grasping Blaise's left-hand tightly in hers, apparated them back to the "No Quibbles" building.

As she punched in the keycode to get into the building, Luna was hyper-aware of the man standing so close to her back he could almost be a part of her, his hands rested lightly on her hips, and his breath was hot on the sensitive dip at the nape of her neck. She almost dropped her keys, and the food, when he dipped his tongue into the shell of her ear, and she thought that she was going to go insane when he started to murmur all his desires against her cheek.

Sighing with relief, Luna moved away from him when the door to the building popped open. Taking the stairs two at a time, she unlocked and opened the front door to her flat, not surprised to find the white and grey kitten was sitting in the hallway mewling pathetically. "It's okay, cutie," Luna leaned down and scooped the kitten into her free hand and walked into the kitchen, "I got you some food."

After pouring some food into a small blue and black saucer and placing the kitten right in front of it, Luna grabbed a bottle of wine and two chilled glasses from the fridge and walked into the lounge. Blaise was already sitting on the well-cushioned settee, his eyes were closed and his chin was touching his chest as he snored quietly.

Laughing quietly under her breath, Luna watched him sleeping for a moment, then picked up the heavy tartan throw from the back of the armchair and placed it over him, careful not to wake him up.

Wondering exactly what demon was making her do it, she leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his cheek, then headed for the bedroom where she had dropped the Agatha Christie novel and dressing gown. Perhaps she would get a little bit more reading done now.

Of course tomorrow she would have to deal with Blaise Zabini and the uninvited sleepover, but for now that could wait, she had plenty of other things to get on with, including naming her new best friend, who had already finished her food and was clawing enthusiastically at the fronds of a spider plant in the corner of Luna's bedroom.

Luna always had problems sleeping, usually it was because of the promise of a juicy story for _The Quibbler_, sometimes it was because she had eaten too much or too little, but tonight her sleeplessness and uneasiness was due to the man in the next room. She could hear his soft snoring through the door, could smell the subtle aftershave he was wearing as the air conditioning kicked in. Closing her eyes she tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. She felt the Kneazle kitten settle against her feet, tiny paws batting her toes, but still she couldn't sleep.

It was nearly two-thirty when finally Luna drifted into a peaceful slumber, partly due to pure exhaustion, but mostly because Blaise had joined her on the bed, above the covers, his hot skin brushing against hers as he moved to get comfortable. His slightly slurred voice only hinting at the desire normally dripping from his pores, even as he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzled his face in the curve of her throat and fell asleep again.


End file.
